Monday, February 7, 2011

Veggie and Barley Soup

Veggie & barley Soup 1

It is so unbelievably hard for me to write down my soup recipes.

I don't know if you are like me, but soup is kind of a free form art for me.

I never really make it the same way twice.

I use up whatever veggies I have and throw in some frozen organic ones from Trader Joes. I just kinda make due with whatever I have on hand, so it's really a struggle for me to be able to blog a soup recipe, but I'm going to try to at least give you some direction, cause I think everyone should be able to make a decent soup.


Veggie & barley Soup

Since nothing is growing in the garden at this time of year (yeah there is still a good 2 feet of snow on the ground) I utilize frozen veggies in this soup.

Oh, I have to tell you one little secret that my family has no clue about. I've been doing it for years and they have no idea.....ok..here it is...I put diced turnips in my veggies soup and tell them all it's potato.

Veggie & barley Soup 1

They have no clue and eat it right up. I suppose if any of them read this post my secret is no more huh?

Veggie & Barley Soup
recipe from Lisa@ The Cutting Edge of Ordinary
8 - 10 cups chicken broth or stock or a mixture of both
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced thick
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1/2 - 3/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 of a bag of frozen mixed vegetable
1/2 of a bag of frozen diced turnips
small handful of frozen peas
salt & pepper to taste

In a large stock pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth or stock to the pot. Add in the carrots and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Add in barley and frozen vegetables and simmer for an hour - hour and a half or so, or until the vegetables and barley are cooked.

Just a little footnote.....I have a very unhappy hubby this morning. Steelers lost. I want to say there is always next year but I'm sure that's the last thing he wants to hear today :(

4 comments:

Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D said...

They make frozen turnips?
Who knew? I'm buying those!

(BTW, your secret is safe with me - I won't tell your boys if you won't tell mine!)

I made a chicken noodle soup last week using a new technique. (Apparently my hubby has done it before.)I had chicken breasts with rib meat still on the bone - but they were frozen. I put them in a pot and put enough veggie and chicken broth to go halfway up. Put the lid on, simmered, and basically braised them. Lifted the meat out, pulled it, set aside. Rinsed shell pasta in hot water (to remove some starch) put the pasta and some diced carrots and celery in the pot. Added the pulled chicken back in. By the time the chicken was back heated through, the pasta was ready.

I'll eventually blog this, but I wanted to pass it to you!

This is my new "quick soup" and I'll be doing it a lot. It's so wonderful having a hubby who has good food ideas!

TKW said...

I had to laugh, because I, too, use soup as a vehicle for improvisation. I just huck whatever I have on hand into the pot.

Melissa said...

I'm glad you DO write them down though because, without you, I may have gone many more years without trying to recreate the beef and barley soup of my childhood. Love that recipe of yours. :) This one too, the veg version.

(P.S. Sorry for your hub!)

Kim said...

Barley and turnips. You are such a grown-up! ha!

This sounds so yummy for a cold night. And I'm glad it's just veggies. I need more veggies in my life.